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System seems to think my monitor is actually 2 monitors

I'm running Windows 10 on a personal home computer. I recently updated my version of Java. I play Minecraft, which I guess Microsoft now owns too, and some versions of modded Minecraft require different versions of Java to work optimally. That is probably unrelated, but it was the last significant change I made before I started having this problem.

When I try to run another game, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the game loads at first, but then the screen will go black and I'll get a popup on it that says "Display not optimum. Recommended: 1440x900 60Hz." This is a Samsung LCD screen.

I cannot get the screen to display again at all even if I reboot in safe mode. The only thing that gets it back is to hit Windows key + P to get to the screen display settings and to select "Duplicate".

Interestingly, while running on Duplicate, if I go to advanced display settings and click "Identify", the screen shows a "1" in the bottom left corner, correctly identifying this monitor (the ONLY monitor I have hooked up) as the #1 screen. It does *not* display a 2. However, when I then set the system to display "1" only, I get a black screen with the "Not optimum mode" error again. This happens even if I go to duplicate, then select display 1 and tell it to display in 1440x900 mode. Even after doing this and hitting "apply", when I go to "Display 1 only" I get a black screen with the error message.

If I switch to a different monitor, I get the same error but the numbers change to reflect a different monitor size (the other one is a 1600x900, also a Samsung). I have no other monitors to try. The other monitor I'm trying is from a different computer; we have 2 home computers. Both computers have only 1 monitor. Sorry if that is causing confusion!

So, in summary:

1. My computer has only one monitor but somehow seems to think there are two monitors hooked up

2. When I try to play video games that draw on the graphics card (an Intel HD Graphics card whose drivers are up to date) *AND* when I try to go to "Display 1 only" I get a black screen with an error

3. Reboots don't seem to fix it, only going back to "Duplicate" mode fixes it.

Please let me know if you can help!

Answer
Answer

Hi John,


Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Community.
I completely understand your concern and feel sorry for the inconvenience this has caused.

  • Have you made any software changes, prior to this issue?

There can be many reasons for booting to a black screen. 
  
•Problems with the driver for your display adapter.
•The video output is being sent to an unexpected port. 
   
This issue occurs due to corrupted or incompatible graphic card or display adaptor on your system.

Please follow these methods below, to resolve the issue.
 
Method 1:

I would suggest you to run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter and check, if it helps.
 
1. Type troubleshooting in the search bar.
2. Select Troubleshooting.
3. Select View all on the top left corner of the Troubleshooting Window.
4. Click on Hardware and Devices.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to run the troubleshooter and check, if it works.
 
If issue persists, follow method 2.

Method 2:

  1. Type settings on search bar and tap or click on Settings option.

  2. Click on System option under Settings Window, then click on Advanced display settings under Display option.

  3.  Click on Display adapter properties and click on monitor tab and check mark "Hide Modes that this monitor cannot display”.

If issue persists, follow method 3.

Method 3:

Uninstall and reinstall the Display driver and check, if it works. Refer to the following steps to uninstall the Display driver from the Device Manager.

a. Click on Windows key + X and then, select Device Manager.

b. Locate and expand “Display Adaptor” in the Device Manager Window.  

c. Right-click on the Display Adaptor and click on “uninstall” the Display Adaptor driver.

d. Restart the computer and check, if it works.

I hope the above information helps. If you have any other queries related to Windows, feel free to reply and I'll be happy to further assist you.

Thank you.

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Question Info

Last updated December 30, 2017 Views 148 Applies to: